Wow. Tierney is a kook. Look at how likely racism at play - turns [View All]

[applegrove]

into a call for no health care. This doesn't even make sense. A hospital with no agenda to cut costs would be less likely to put off treatment for a "drunk" (as denoted by ambulance drivers) than a "managed care" situation.

"The Reporter Who Got It Right

By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: January 14, 2006

Shortly before the 2004 election, Garrison Keillor published "Homegrown Democrat," explaining at great length why he is a Democrat, and at greater length why Democrats are better human beings than Republicans. It became, of course, a best seller.

..... Snip

I do not mention these facts to make a case against government-run ambulance services. That would be a disservice to David. He abhorred argument by anecdote, especially from conservatives who used bureaucratic horror stories to justify their policies. David spent three decades covering Washington but never became a cynic, never lost faith that public servants could do good. "I like paying taxes," he used to say.

..... Snip

In 1999, when Congress was rushing to regulate health maintenance organizations, members of both parties spent an afternoon telling a litany of stories of suffering patients, culminating with the appearance on the House floor of a 7-year-old boy who had lost his hands and legs. David reported the stories, but he also noted what wasn't being said: health care costs had been devastating companies and governments until expenses were controlled by managed-care companies."

http://select.nytimes.com/2006/01/14/opinion/14tierney.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fJohn%20Tierney